What is a Heart Beat?
by FireChildSlytherin5
Summary: Hiatus Heavily AU. After I am finished with my other stories, I will come back to this story & start editing it. Please Review & tell me where I need to fix. Thanks. :
1. Chapter 1

"**What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary:** AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings, wounded severely but somehow not affected by the pain afterwards. Read and find out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despised the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet…

-

**Chapter One**

**-**

_Ba Bum … the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum … the heart beat twice.  
Ba Bum … the heart beat three times.  
Ba Ba Bum … and the heart beat no more._

_-_

'_Come closer… Come on, just a little bit closer… That's it that's it… No, no, no! Don't go that way, this way, yes, that's right, this way. Little closer, little bit more… Yes!_'

Zuko, banished Prince of the Fire Nation, gripped his spear tighter, watching his prospective meal walking towards the tree where he crouched, waiting for the right moment to pounce; to kill it. This meal would be his first in many days, weeks perhaps. It was too risky to go out and hunt, for the enemy was always near. But he is so hungry, that he would even eat a human being if it came to that to fill his stomach. Days like this, therisk is one he is willing to take, even if the risk is high, even if the risk might take his life…

-

_But what is this life? All I've done is live to watch my own county slowly dying out, as if my life and the lives of those before me were all cursed, even before the war started. Is this a life in which each day, time comes and goes, while my people are cursed to simply watch it pass and never age or truly die? It's led me places and left tomorrow, without saying goodbye to yesterday._

_I don't think there's ever been a time that I've really been like those from the other Nations: living short lives, getting married, having children, being happy and loving each other. The only love that I've ever received was from my mother, Ursa; my cousin, Lu Ten; my uncle, Iroh, and my younger sister when we younger (though the latter is questionable). My mother and cousin have since departed, disappeared off the face of the earth itself. And I too, like others, will soon follow. Many times, I look up in the sky, wishing to the spirits that I too would discrete, that my time would come sooner…_

-

The deer strode closer to the tree, now about 3-meters away. Zuko leapt out of the tree, thrusting the spear into the animal, killing it. Warm blood gushed out from the wound covering the front of Zuko's worn, dirty rags, which were already stained with much of the same. This didn't bother him; he had seen blood countless times throughout his life, sometimes being the cause of it.

"_Nice catch!_" Zuko looked up to see his fellow Fire Nation outcast, Takeshi **(1).**

Zuko smiled at his best friend. "_Thanks."_

Takeshi was one of the few friends he'd ever had in life: He'd been with him since practically the beginning. Wherever one was the other was always nearby. No one ever saw one without the other: it was unheard of.

Like much of the Fire Nation, Takeshi was a tall youth with short black hair, eyes yellow enough that they seemed to glow, and almost deathly pale skin. He jumped down from the branch along with Hitomi **(2)** and her little sister, Hoshi **(3)**.

Zuko lapped the blood off his hands, grinning as he did so. He and the others then prepared to carry the deer back with them. Within 15 minutes, there was nothing but a puddle of blood where the deer was before. The Fire Nation learned long ago never to waste any part of an animal they killed, lest they anger the spirits.

"_Come on. We can't linger. We have to leave before They come_." Nobody needed to be told twice. If the enemy were to come, they didn't know what the outcome would be, but they knew it wouldn't be in their favour. They bounded off into the forest, disappearing without a sound.

A bloodcurdling cry shattered the tense silence.

"_Shit…" _Cursing in the many languages he'd learned from a young age, Zuko, like the others, threw down the meat and raised his weapons.

Instantaneously, shadowy, humanoid figures began darting out of nowhere and attacking the group.

Zuko parried a blow from a shadow wielding a pudao, then stabbing it where its chest appeared to be. The shadow disappeared as Zuko moved on the next one.

"_Go Takeshi! Take the girls and the food with you! Warn the others! I'll hold them off!_" Zuko yelled. Abandoning the din of yelling and metal-on-metal the girls grabbed their share of the load and his, bolting into the darkness. They did not look back, did not question his motives; for he was their lord, banished or not. Takeshi's eyes widened. He shook his head. "_Go Takeshi! Don't be a fool! Just go now!_ " Reluctantly, Takeshi did as he was told.

_Clang, clang…Panic…Clang, clang…Blood…Clang, clang…Oh God, is that my blood? Clang--_

"SHRIEEEEEEK!" Zuko looked up and in that moment, one of the enemy's swords went though his belly. Pain was the last thing Zuko had felt before he blacked out. But what he saw as he fell shocked him. A water whip whipped around him, striking his opponent. A woman and man wearing blue clothes came into view, as two others shortly followed: one female, one male. The female was short wearing brown and green and the male yellow and orange. The only oddball group he knew to wear those colours was the Avatar's group. Why are they here of all places? Do they know they are in _L' Taur d'lil Elghinyrr _**(4)**, between the forbidden lands and the Fire Nation territory?

'_Strange…_' Zuko thought. Without warning the darkness swallowed him, and he knew no more.

-

**0o0o0o0o0o**

**-**

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph were resting in the unknown forest just a few miles north of where Zuko and his group were (though each group unknown to the other): Appa and Momo were sleeping to the side of the camp; Sokka, as usual, eating his post-dinner-snack; Katara was making sure that their supplies was in check; Toph, her arms folded in front of her, bored almost to death, and lastly, Aang, practicing earth or water bending by himself.

"Mmm, that was tasty." Sokka said to himself rather dreamily, setting his bowl down on the ground. Katara shook her head, rolling her eyes at her older brother.

"We need to stop at the nearest village, Aang. We need to get some more food."

"I don't know Katara," Aang said slowly, pulling out the map out from his backpack. "I don't even know where we are; let alone where the nearest village is."

"Let me look at that." Sokka said, reaching for the map. Shrugging, Aang gave it him to examine, knowing the older teen was better at using maps then himself. Aang turned to face Toph. She was facing away from the fire pit, as though watching something in the murky darkness of the forest.

"What's wrong, Toph?" Everyone looked up to listen. The entire group knew that Toph could sense things that they couldn't. Her aptitude in earthbending had come in handy many times.

"This place is evil." Toph said. "Things move around without reason. They just disappear from one place and pop up somewhere else. Things are not right here." She turned to face to group. "We need to leave _now_."

"We can't leave. It's the middle of the night!" Sokka said, looking up from the map.

"Look, guys." Knowing an argument would follow if he didn't step in, Aang decided to intervene. "If it makes everyone feel better, we'll leave as soon as possible."

"That's fine with me." Katara said.

"Fine, twinkle-toes." Toph muttered.

Katara put everything back into their respective packs once she made sure everything was in check, and the gang turned in for the night.

Toph was still dead sure there was something very wrong with the forest as she drifted off to sleep.

-

When everyone was fast asleep, everything became still and quiet.

Grrrrrr! Argh!

The whole group instantly sat up in response to the terrifying sounds that echoed throughout the once peaceful silence. All of them got up, into ready stances with their elements and weaponry. Oddly enough no one ambushed the camp (as they were now used to, nowadays), but a little while off, maybe a mile south of the camp they could hear the cries of a battle.

They ran off in the general direction of the cries. They had to make sure that the victims of whatever attack were alright. The Fire Nation could be attacking innocents for all they knew. They weren't sure, but they had to find out.

After a while of running through the trees, they stopped in horror. In front of them were four madly ragged teens fighting for their lives, fighting against shadow beings that they had never seen or heard of before in their lives.

One of the men shouted something to the others in a harsh language that none of them could identify. The younger girls suddenly bolted leaving the two men behind. One man, the one closest to the exit of the battle, stood there wide-eyed watching the other, shaking his head as if in objection of what the other had told him.

The other yelled again in the same of language, and the other left without looking back. Clearly, the man that stayed behind was holding off the shadows so the others could escape. The Gang came out of their shock, running towards the man who was now fighting the shadows by himself. Just then, one of the shadows stabbed the unknown man. Katara lashed out at that shadow with her water whip and it let loose a hellish shriek.

Sokka threw his boomerang at it before it had time to attack his sister. The shadows faded, as the shadow that Sokka had attacked with his boomerang disappeared, or rather, despoiled, crying out in surprised of the turn of events. They watched as the unknown man who was stabbed fell to his knees and then onto his back not moving. Katara ran to aid him, but in vain. The man wasn't breathing and his heart had stopped beating: he was dead.

Katara sat his greasy head onto her lap, looking up to the group that was surrounded her and the dead man. She ignored the disgusting smell of the man and how filthy his clothes were. The others covered their noses, looking sorrowfully at the dead man. There were tears in Katara's eyes. She didn't know why she was crying for she never knew the man.

"Leave him, Katara. He's dead. We weren't fast enough to save him." Sokka said, knowing what was wrong with his younger sister.

"No, let me try to save him!" Katara said, setting his head down on the cool forest floor, getting out her water in preparation for her healing skills, desperate to save the unknown man before her.

"He's _dead_, Katara. There's nothing you can do!"

"No, no, no." Katara said repeatedly to herself, stopping, seeing that he brother was right. She knew nothing would come out of trying saving a dead man's life. "We can't just leave him here. What would happen if those shadow things come back?" She whispered to them.

"We have to leave him here."

"No, we'll take him to the camp. It's almost dawn anyways. Toph and I'll bury him when the sun comes up." Katara said weakly. Everyone agreed to that. It was almost barbaric just to leave a dead man in the middle of the forest without a burial or tribute of some sort. With Aang's air-bending skills, they carried the bloody body to the camp. They decided that after the burial, they would leave straight away, going as far away as possible from the shadows.

Just as they got to the camp the sun was rising. Katara screamed. The rest turned around and saw… 

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**Words:** 1948

**(1) Takeshi: **Japanese name meaning: "fierce; warrior."  
**(2)****Hitomi: **Japanese name meaning: "pupil (of the eye)." This name is usually given to girls with especially beautiful eyes.  
**(3)****Hoshi: **Japanese name meaning "Star."  
**(4)** **L' Taur d'lil Elghinyrr: **In elfish means "The Forest of the Dead"

**Author's Note:** I came with this plot just a while back. I didn't post it right a way when I typed it, because I can't have incomplete stories up, and never complete them. Too much work.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

**Just in case, for those of you who are wondering about the premise: **The Fire Nation has been overruled. The other nations won the War, but several skirmishes still break out of occasion: namely, angry Fire Nation people attacking for the sake of revenge.

Aang has NOT mastered Fire-bending because his second fire-bending teacher was killed before the completion of his training. Afterwards, he couldn't find anyone else to teach him because much of the Fire Nation suddenly disappeared. The comet still needed to be stopped, however he was skilled enough to do few things with firebending even without adequate training. The Fire Lord was killed by luck, and Azula, younger sister of Zuko, became Fire Lady, then ruling the rest of the Fire Nation: A year later, the fire nation seemingly vanished off the face of the earth, leaving only rumors in place of what should have been a legacy.

The gang is going home, now that their "destiny" has been fulfilled and whatnot. It has been almost a year since the battle against the Fire Lord, and their trip home is taking a while as they do favours for and help out the towns and villages they stop by along the way since Aang, being the Avatar, still carries the responsibility of keeping peace, despite the war's end.

The surviving people of Fire Nation lineage across the world are now shunned from all the nations, including those of the Royal Family. These survivors have either banded together or have disappeared entirely.

E-mail me for more questions. :)

**Read and Review!**

—**FireChildSlytherin5 **


	2. Chapter Two

"**What is a Heart Beat?"**

-

**Summary:** AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings, wounded severely but somehow not affected by the pain afterwards. Read and find out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despised the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet…

-

**Chapter Two**

**-**

_Ba Bum … the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum … the heart beat twice.  
Ba Bum … the heart beat three times.  
Ba Ba Bum … and the heart beat no more._

_-_

It was Zuko.

Zuko looked up from where he was lying_. 'This can't be right. The shadows should've taken me to their lairs by now_' he thought, sitting up. The Avatar group stood there, shocked that the man was Zuko, and that he was, in fact, still alive although they had thought him dead. '_What the hell is wrong with them? Unless…_' His eyes widened in horror: They had witnessed the death and rebirth of his curse.

"What do you want Zuko?! How in the hell did you do that?" the water peasant male yelled at him. Zuko's mind was clouded. He hadn't spoken or even heard the "common" language in quite a long time, maybe over a year or two come to think of it.

"_What_," Zuko tried again, shaking his head. "What happened?" Zuko asked again. His voice and accent were shaky and it sounded like he hadn't spoken it in a long time.

"You tell us," Toph said, raising her hands, just in case the firebender thought of attacking them. Zuko ignored the shocked group; he had no time for their stupidity. He looked down to where the shadow had stabbed him. He had a dulling pain in his abdomen around where the wound was, but it understandable; all wounds caused by the shadows never heal. He would have the open wound for the rest of his miserable life, if you could call it that.

"Do want me to heal that?" Katara asked, rather uneasy. It wasn't every day that you offered to heal a firebender. She looked at the infected wound that was now riddled with bluish-black and greenish splotches around it. It looked very painful; she wondered how Zuko wasn't affected that much by it.

"It cannot ever be healed, special healing powers or not." Zuko said sadly, wondering what other effects the wound would give him. It was his first 'shadow wound.' He had heard of and seen what these wounds could do to a person, especially fire nation. In a few short days he would find out which weapon he was stabbed with: Each of the shadow's weapons gives a different (albeit still painful) effect. He attempted to sit up, but failed miserably when he suddenly fell down to his knees, then being caught by the water peasant girl that was now beside him.

It took every ounce of Katara's willpower to not let go of the Fire Prince. She gagged in disgust; Zuko smelled so awful one would think he hadn't bathed in years. His clothes were so moldy, bloodied, and ragged that she wondered how he could stand it and how the clothes themselves hadn't fallen apart yet. Whatever happened to the proud firebender she'd once seen and thought knew?

"Come on." She kindly said to him. Zuko wasn't easily fooled. He knew the water bender was merely being courteous; just faking kindness towards him.

"Katara we can't take him to our camp! He could easily kill Aang or send him to the fire nation!"

"I really doubt that he could. Look at him, he's hurt!"

"I have to agree with Katara on this, Sokka. He does look helpless," Aang said.

"_I am NOT weak or helpless!_" Zuko yelled at them. The group looked at him, wondering what he just said. "I'm not weak or helpless." Zuko said again in the calmest voice he could manage. "Just let me go, and you will never see me again. I am not here to hurt anyone or to take the Avatar any longer. The Fire Nation is now led by Fire Lady Azula, my sister, and soon enough my county will fall further into disarray. Let me go back to my people in peace; let me die with them."

"We can't just leave you here! What if those evil beings come back?" Katara was shocked of what she just heard from the firebender.

"So be it then, if fate has it." Zuko growled impatiently at the peasant.

"Even if you die?" Sokka asked, wondering what insane person would take a risk like that.

"Then I will die." Zuko said firmly, not once showing any fear or backing down.

"Come on, just let us help you."

"Face it, Sugar-Queen; if he doesn't want help, then you can't help him." Toph said, not caring if the firebender was let go and got himself killed or something.

Zuko looked up at the young water-tribe girl. He had to admit, she was a very beautiful young lady. Had fate been nice to him, he would have a gone out with her sometime; it would be nice to have someone to love him like that. "You cannot help me, Katara, isn't it?" she nodded, surprised that he knew her name. "You and your friends must understand that you can't help me because you can't. It's not because I won't accept your help. There is nothing you can do. Nothing."

"There must be something, or you will die!"

"No, not die. Not yet. My time long ago came and went many times. Yet, I'm cursed to live." Zuko said sadly.

The group was confused of what he meant by that. If he wasn't here to harm Aang then he might be okay, but they still had to be on guard. He might warn the Fire-Nation about where they were.

"We can't risk releasing you, Zuko. You have to come with us." Sokka said, not liking the outcome of the conversation one bit: the Fire Nation Prince tagging along with them. Zuko growled at the thought. All he wanted was to be freed and to go to his camp where his uncle and the others are. They were probably very worried about him, maybe even believing him dead or worse. The camp was two days away from where he sat; he hoped the Avatar and Co. were heading in that direction.

"Fine." He said bitterly.

He let them tie his ankles and wrists, and watched helplessly as they loaded him and their other things onto the white air-bison. When everyone was safely on, the Avatar, on the top of the bison's head, yelled, "Yip-yip!"

As the air-bison flew into the sky, Zuko closed his eyes, smiling slightly. He rather enjoyed the cool breeze brushing through his long greasy hair. It felt good, being in the sky like this. It wasn't so bad.

Everyone was happy that they were now in the air (they couldn't stand the smell of Zuko). "You need a bath and new clothes. When we find a village you should ,eh, attend to that," Katara told him, looking at this filthy clothes and hair. "When was the last time you've taken a bath or worn any decent clothes?" she demanded. Zuko thought about it. It has to have been over a year ago, maybe two years now, since around the time Uncle helped save the moon spirit?

"Don't know." He shrugged. "A year or more maybe?"

"Argh! Even I take baths regularly!" Toph said, covering her nose in disgust.

"How in the world would a 'Prince' forget to take baths or wear decent clothes? Doesn't the old man you used to tag along with ever tell you take one?" Sokka asked rude voice.

"My uncle hasn't taken one either. It is not our fault that our enemies wait for us near rivers and lakes. It's hard to go into any village when people keep staring at you." Zuko told them. Well, it was half true; all the fire nation's villages had been destroyed by the other nations, and there really weren't any other villages where people of fire nation lineage were welcomed.

"Zuko, what are those things in the forest?" Aang said getting into business. You must know your enemy before you attack.

Zuko's glowing yellow eyes dulled ever so slightly. It couldn't hurt to tell them a few facts about them, he supposed. "Beings from hell. Banished evil spirits of the Spirit World." He looked at the Avatar's eyes, as if looking straight into his very soul. "They take souls and bend them into their slaves for all eternity, they say. The only ones that know for sure are in no condition to tell us, for they are now gone. Disappeared off the face of the earth itself."

The group stared at him like he was nuts. How could 'evil' sprits which could be seen and killed by common weapons bend souls into slavery?

"Yeah right." Sokka said slowly. "And I'm the Fire Lord."

"Believe what you wish, peasant. If you just let me go you will not be in danger anymore. The longer I'm here, the more danger you will all be in."

"No way, Zuko. You're not going to warn you little 'friends' of where we are." Sokka said, sharpening his spear at the other side of the large saddle. He pulled out the map from his backpack.

"Let me see here. Where are we? Yeah, Aang, what do you see up ahead?"

"Ahh, very tall mountains and," Aang leaned forwards a bit from Appa's head, looking downwards. The dark forest seemed larger then the swamp that they once visited and more 'alive' in a foreboding way. He felt something amiss in the forest, as if something was calling him, like some spirit lurking in the shadows, watching them with hungry eyes. "And nothing but forest, Sokka."

"Mmm, now, where is a large forest and mountains?" Sokka muttered looking back on the ancient map. Zuko slowly inched towards the other teen. When he got close enough to see Sokka's map, he saw that it was an Earth Kingdom map. '_Of course the forest wouldn't be in there_' He thought, '_You either need at pretty good map or a Fire Nation map to know_'

" _Idiot_." Zuko muttered, while watching him.

"What was that, fire-scum!" Sokka hissed at him.

"Well, by the looks of it, you have an Earth Kingdom map, and a very old one, at that. It won't work around here. The only people who would be able to map out these lands are the ones that know about them."

"You think you know better then us?"

"Yes, I do. Unlike you fools, I know where we are. And I knew what dangers were here before hand."

"Enlighten us then. Where the hell are we?"

"In the language you use, we are in "The Forest of the Dead," known in the ancient tongue of my people as _L' Taur d'lil Elghinyrr_."

"'The Forest of the Dead?' what kind of stupid name is that?" Sokka said.

"The kind that was given for a reason." Answered Zuko, smirking at their faces when he said it.

"Well we better get out of this forest then, if it really was called that for a reason. I really don't want to fight those spirits again, if they are spirits," Aang said. "Which way should go?"

"I would head south-west if I were you, Avatar." Zuko said.

"Right. In the mean time, we have to figure out what to do when those shadow things come back." Aang said.

"What do we know about them?" Toph asked. There was silence.

"They are nothing but evil sprits, the same ones who caused the 100 year long war and left the Fire Nation in ruins," Zuko said, now biting his ropes behind their backs. To able to survive with this group, they needed to know more about what they were up against.

"The Fire Nation caused the war, fire-scum! It was because of you and your filthy nation that millions of innocent people died! It was your people that caused my mother's death and they're also the reason my dad has gone off to war! Don't blame the "spirits" for the mistakes of your pathetic nation!" Sokka yelled. During this speech, Zuko was foaming at the mouth and baring his teeth, his fingernails scratching the saddle, and was growling. Just as Sokka finished, with an unknown burst of strength Zuko broke the ropes around his wrists and ankles, jumping on top of him like a wild animal. Whisps of fire danced around him in short angry bursts. Just as Zuko landed on top of the young teen, both fell off the flying bison, and plummeted to their deaths below.

"SOKKA!" cried Katara watching her older brother and the enemy falling down from the sky. Aang opened his glider and jumped off after them. Katara grabbed the reins and followed after Aang. Toph, who couldn't see what was going on, but had a good idea judging by what she was hearing, waited impatiently as Aang flew to save Sokka and Zuko.

Down below, Sokka and Zuko were wrestling, Zuko on top. Zuko biting, scratching, and burning Sokka with all the strength that his will power would allow. He was angry at the water-peasant that dared to insult him and his people. '_How dare he!_' Zuko thought angrily.

Zuko suddenly felt himself being picked up by an unknown force at the back of his ragged shirt. He then was carried over to and placed safely on the back of the flying bison. Zuko took deep breathes trying to calm his anger. Sokka was trying to keep his heart rate down, he was so traumatized. That fire-prince could've killed him. 

"You fucking crazy son of a bitch, fire-scum! You could've killed me!" Sokka yelled.

'_And next time I will_' Zuko thought to himself. A thin stream of water whipped the back of his head. For the second time in less then three hours, Zuko blacked out.

**End of Chapter**

* * *

**Words:** 2,300 

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the delay. Few things on chapter 1, to all who read it before and reviewed so nicely, that was changed.

**R&R**

**--FireChildSlytheirn5**


	3. Chapter 3

**THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN EDITED WITH A BETA!**

* * *

"**What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary: **AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despise the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet…

-

**Chapter 3**

**-**

_Ba Bum … the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum … the heart beat twice._  
_Ba Bum … the heart beat three times._  
_Ba Ba Bum … and the heart beat no more._

_-_

When Zuko woken up, the first thing he noticed was that he was lying on the ground in prairie like place, just behind him was the cursed mountains and forest. He was again, tied, extra tight and not with rope but with leather bonds. Zuko cursed at his luck. He couldn't firebend out of these leather ropes without given himself painful burns afterwards. The next thing he noticed was the sun itself. It was above him, given warmth as if giving his love to him, as a father would do to a son. Zuko smiled just for a second. In the first time, in long time, he was at peace.

He slowly gotten up and looked around himself. Across from him was the water-peasant girl, fixing a meal in large pot over a fire, stirring it with a wooden spoon. Her brother wasn't in eyeshot, but didn't mean he wasn't near. The Avatar was tending the fly basin, giving it—Zuko gagged watching— it hugs and kisses. His uncle does that with creatures, which pained him of reminding him of his suasion. He was their prisoner. He was their enemy. He turned his head to the right and saw other 12-year-old blind girl, dozing off of boredom. He had never caught her name.

"Your up at last!" Zuko looked up and saw the water-peasant girl looking at him. "I'm sorry for hitting you in the head like that. I was angry. But I understand that you were angry with my brother, he did insult your people and all. I would too…"

"You know, you do talk to much." Zuko told her.

Katara's face went red in anger. "Well, sorry for trying to get in a good conversion." She muttered. She got up and walked up to him, lifting up his shirt.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Zuko asked, refusing fear coming into his voice.

"For your information I'm checking your wound." She said, checking the now stanched wound, the same place of where the shadow had stabbed him. "I patched it up when you were out. At least its not bleeding anymore. Are you hungry?" she asked him.

Zuko glared at her. "I'll take that as in yes." She said. "Aang, can you fetch Sokka? Dinner's ready."

"Okay, Katara!" Aang said.

For few short minutes, Zuko watched as Katara scooped stew into five small bowls. Zuko licked his lip hungrily at the stew. It has been weeks since he last eaten. At last Sokka came into the camp, muttering 'thanks' to his younger sister as she given him a bowl. Just as Katara was giving Zuko a bowl, Sokka asked, "What are you doing?"

"Giving him some food."

"You can't give him some."

"Says who?"

"Me. That firebender can not have any!"

"Sokka he needs some food. Just look at him, he's skin and bones! It just as if he hasn't eaten for days."

"I don't care! The enemy can't have food. Have you forgotten he tried to kill me the day before?"

"Yes, I still remember. He's a human being, he needs food."

"Fine." Sokka said angrly. He never did like it when his sister wins agurments. When Katara given Zuko's bowl, they watched in amusement as he stiffed the soup, sticking his finger in it, tasting it as if checking it if it was poisoned. Seeing it wasn't he started wolfing it down as if their was no tomorrow. Katara watched as Zuko eat, just seconds later he was finished. Zuko looked at his now cleaned bowl. He was still hungry. He started biting the bowl, which he could still taste the past meals this bowl has held.

"Umm, Katara, I think you better give Zuko some more or you might loose another bowl!" Aang said laughing at the sight of a fire-bender biting something that wasn't food. Katara shirked as she snatched the bowl from Zuko's tied hands. The whole camp started laughing (minis Toph who couldn't see what was going on). It wasn't every day that person would even try to eat a bowl let alone a prince being scrawled like mangy mutt.

"Bad, firebender, bad!" Katara said, sating the bowl far from him as possible, knowing that he couldn't get it, when he is tied up. "You can't eat the bowl! Bad!"

Zuko growled. That bowl was pretty tasty. And that wench just took it from him! She gave him the bowl; he was his, his only! "Give that back! It mine! You given the bowl to me, and now its mine!" he said. How dare that wrench female taking something from him!

"No. The bowl is not yours! If you're going to eat the bowl, then you can't have the bowl. Maybe next time you won't tried to eat it." Katara said firmly. Zuko licked his lips. At least he had a descent portion before that water wench stole his bowl from him.

"Why would any try to eat a bowl anyway." Sokka asked to no one is particular.

Aang's eyes widen in realization. He should've known. He had met people with the same condition as him, before he ranaway from the Air Temple. "Someone that is almost starved to death." He said slowly. Everyone else looked at the firebender. "How long haven't you eaten?" Aang asked him, wondered in his voice

"Don't know…." Zuko said slowly, trying to remember. Come to think of it, why should he tell them? Why should the Avatar care anyway? Give him a break, food was one of the last things you might not care if everyday, 24-7, your either being chased from Earth benders and every now and again the Shadows attacking you. He and the others were always traveling, trying to escape things that want to hurt them. "Weeks maybe? The last food I ate that I could remember was rotten bread that my uncle found near a rode felled with wrenched Earth Nation. It is not safe for us to go near a village or even try to steel from anyone. If they found out we are Fire Nation, short trip to the gallows they'll send us."

"Gallows?" Sokka asked. He never heard of that word before. Maybe it a Fire Nation word.

"Thirteen steps, a sudden drop, no air to breath... death with come before you know it." Zuko answered, smirking at the thought, that he, like hundreds of others in the past, had died like that.

"Your insane aren't you?" Toph asked him. Zuko didn't answer, but smirked, giving her the answer that she asked, also knowing that she couldn't see his answer, which bothered her. Toph scowled at him.

"It's a hanging, Sokka. It's one of the Fire Nation ways of execution." Aang told him, knowing. "I never seen one, but the monks told me it very barbaric way die: innocent or criminal. I was told the Fire Nation citizens actual watch!"

"Barbaric or no, we need to figure out what to do with _it_." Sokka didn't want to get attached to the firebender or feel any guilt if the prince was to die.

"Let me go is a good one." Zuko said. Sokka ignored him.

"We have these choices: kill him or bring him to King Bumi because according to this map, it the closed kingdom." Zuko looked at him in horror. Anything but that! Kill him would be better then being given to Earth Nation King!

"I don't want to kill him, Sokka." Aang said. Zuko looked at him, in slight surprised. Knowing the Avatar, he didn't want any blood shed. It was bad enough that both earth and water nation hunted the Fire Nation and killing them all to get rid of them as if they were animals. The Avatar knew it. Men, women and children from the Fire Nation are being slaughtered and his companions either don't care or turn a blind eye. "Where bring him to Bumi." Aang decided. Zuko shook his head in horror. They talk about him as if he was cattle!

"No! You will released me now!" Zuko yelled, now struggling the bonds that bond him, very termed to burn the leather, not caring what's the cost. "I know how to get home. Let me go NOW!" Aang turned away from the firebender. Toph shook her head, thinking '_Wimp_.'.

"I'm sorry." Katara whispered. She wouldn't let him go. The Fire Nation had hurt her and other people. He was a Firebender, a prince, and a killer, someone who helped caused pain to others. It was a fact that all Fire Nation had once killed or cause some sort of evil in the 'Hundred Years Old War'.

"No, your don't. If you did, you'll let me go." Zuko said, his eyes narrowing. His yellow orbs glowed into evil light. Katara medetly shriveled. "_Ori'gato uns'aa alu xor s__u'er _!"**(1)** Zuko yelled.

The group ignored him, sitting up camp. They must not stay for long, fearing that the unnatural being would find them. When all of them was safely on the Appa, Katara said, "Aang, stop near a watering hole. Zuko needs a bath." Zuko looked at her in horror.

**End of Chapter**

* * *

**(1)** "Let me go or suffer!" 

**Words: **1,679

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the Reviews! Next chapter: Zuko is forced to take a bath, litterly. Lol!

**Read and Review!**

**--FireChildSlytherin5**


	4. Chapter Four

**THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN EDITED WITH A BETA!**

* * *

"**What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary: **AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despise the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet…

-

**Chapter 4**

**-**

_Ba Bum … the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum … the heart beat twice._  
_Ba Bum … the heart beat three times._  
_Ba Ba Bum … and the heart beat no more._

_-_

Zuko was furious. Anytime now, the Avatar will find a watering hole, lake, river or something, and make him have a bath. Don't get him wrong, he needed one and he doesn't hate having one, but thought of _them_ seeing him naked and seeing his scars that he received from the War make him scared and embarrassed. And don't forget the shadows love to hide near any type of water. It was where they get their energy for their powers and it was place where they are strongest. They were weak in the forest because their wasn't any running water, but with a lake... Zuko shook his head, trying not to think of it. It also had been days or maybe few weeks since he last had drink of water.

Just as he thought that, in his horror, the Avatar yelled happily, "There's the waterfall!"

"At least!" Katara said. Appa landed near the river and flopped on his back, Zuko being thrown out of the saddle as everyone never thought getting him off before the flying basin lied down onto its back.

"Are you okay, Zuko?" the Avatar asked him just thought about him, regretting to himself forgetting about him. Zuko glared at him with hatred. "Okay, we're going to untie you and get you in the water. Please—please don't do anything rush."

"Or I'll squash you." Toph said, bending a large rock over his head to get her point. Zuko stared that the large bolder above him as if daring it to drop on top of him. Toph let it drop beside him with large thump.

"Fine. But ain't going into the water!" Zuko said.

"Oh, it the prince-y afraid of the water?" Sokka teased him.

"No." Zuko said. "I just don't like the water. Water is evil. Water is bad."

"Haha. Water is evil, yeah right." Sokka pulled out his knife as he said it, still laughing at the thought. Zuko's body stiffened wondering what the water peasant would do with it with his knife. He watched as Sokka cut the leather ropes from his wrists and ankles. Painful looking burns was seen on his wrists and ankles of where the leather bonds were. "Take off your clothes and go wash." Sokka demanded, pointing the river beside them

"No." Zuko said glaring into his eyes. Sokka didn't tell him twice, Sokka grabbed him by his neck caller and _throw_ him in the cold water.

"SOKKA! Why did you do that for?" Katara yelled at him. "What if he can't swim?"

"Good riddance then." Sokka said not looking at his sister but his enemy.

Zuko stood up from the water that was waist high, whapping the water from his eyes. That bastard throws in the water. He won't wash, he won't. He must get out of this water!

Zuko started to get out, but before he knew it, Katara bended the water under her comments, "What are you doing?" he yelled as the water grabbed him.

"Washing you up." Katara said.

Sokka laughed at that remark. "Good one, Katara." Katara glared at him. Katara swirled her hands, as soupy water covered the firebender. Zuko helplessly waited refusing to open either his eyes or mouth. What seemed like hours, Zuko felt himself flouting back to land. He cough, shivered at the mainland. Kneeling he took a deep breath raising the fire within himself, warming his body and was unsteadily dried.

"You gotta teach me how to do that!" the Avatar said in awe.

"No." Zuko told him. Katara walked up to him, checking him over. He still wasn't clean! He still had blood and dirt stains all over him!

"You're not clean," Katara started to say.

"I'm clean enough!" Zuko said getting far away from her and the water as possible.

"Fine." Katara said. Sokka in the background sniggered.

"Come on, we need to go." The Avatar told them.

The group flew for another whole day and night. Zuko couldn't sleep. Knowing that each hour, they were getting closer and closer to his doom. What would the Earth King Bumi do to him? He heard and witnessed of what the other Nations would do to Fire Nation. Would they torture him telling them where the others are? Would they send him to rot in prison for the rest of the days of his life? Or would the executed him? Or would they torture him just for fun?

If it is his fate to die, why wouldn't the Avatar let that water-tribe boy kill him just few days before when they captured him? Or was it the Avatar want him to have a proper execution, not being killed the barbaric way possible?

"We're going to be there any day now!" Aang told them happily at the thought of meeting his best friend. He looked at Zuko, who looked at him in hatred, teeth showing from his mouth. Aang was confused. They haven't seen any Fire Nation for months, until now with they found Zuko somewhat dead. The last time was an old man that he never met before looked at him in the same look. What shocked him that when the old man got sight of him, he slashed his own throat, saying that he couldn't live the life he had, saying he will be with his wife and son. And being a slave in the afterlife was better then being captive to the other Nations then a tortured life for all entreaties. He didn't know what the old man meant (he didn't tell the others what happened) until when Zuko told them a couple days ago. '_They take souls and bend them into their slaves for all entity they say._' Zuko told them. Was that the Fire Nation man meant that?

Aang rolled his eyes, as Zuko started to yell once more.

"_Let me go! Let me go! I rather die in the hands of the Spirit of the Dead then likes of your filthy Nations! Let me go or sever!_" Zuko yelled in his native tongue.

"SHUT UP, FIRE SCUM!" Sokka yelled back. It wasn't the yelling that nerved him. It was filthy language that he spoke. The Fire Nation language, the most ancient tongue that was ever accorded. The language sounded so beautiful and spiritual in the same time as a harsh and deathly language. It was so... alien to him. He was told from his young youth it was evil language of the devil himself. It was so look down a pond that the nations exile and execute people who spoken it. It scared him to find that he was curious to know what he said. "Please do us a favor and speck in language that all of us know!"

"Stop yelling is more like." Toph muttered under her breath.

"And what language is that anyway?" Sokka asked the firebender, ignoring Toph. He was bord with nothing to do but sit. He had finished sharping his bumeraang and he had enough studing the Earth Kingdom map.

"It is my native language." Zuko said flatly, glaring at the young water-tribe.

"What about English?"

"My third language." Zuko said after an after thought.

Sokka looked confused. "What's your second?"

"Air Nation." Zuko replied. In that second, Aang looked up smiling.

"Really!" Aang said shocked, as he let go of the reins.

"Ha, I doubted it." Katara said. "The Air nomads disappearance over 100 years before. How could the Fire Nation Prince know the Air Nation language when they're not Air Nation around?"

Aang ignored her, suddenly spoken in language that they never heard of him spoke before. Aang's voice was like the wind itself, so carefree like a bird. They watch as Zuko smirked after the Avatar had finished. He too replied in the same language, which shocked the whole group.

"You do speck my language!" Aang said happily hugging the Firebender.

"Get off me!" Zuko yelled. Aang let go of him.

Sokka was too curious for his own good. He was kind of man that loves knowledge, which helps him of his lack of bending. He found himself, to want to know these languages, as his tribe at lost most of their past water tribe language because of the 100 years old war. "What did you guys say to each other?"

"Basically he asked me 'Do you understand me?'.." Zuko said. He looked at the Avatar. "You need to speck your native tongue more often Avatar, before you loose it."

"No one that I know, beside Bumi and now you, knows the language. I'm last Air bender left." Aang told him in sadness.

Zuko shook his head. Why was he told this? It wasn't true. His people still live, but not as they did before 100 years "You are not the first Air bender that I ever met Avatar." Zuko told him slowly knowing what would happen next. Everyone in the group looked up. What was he saying?

"What do you mean?" Katara asked. Surly he's not saying as she thinks his saying?

"Externally what I say. How did I ever learn the language almost so perfectly as I was one? An Air Nomad taught me himself. Just as any teacher would do for his young students."

"That a lie! My people would never suck so low of teaching our ways with the Fire Nation!"

"Believe of what you wish, Avatar. My own mother was one of the many daughters of the Sprits of Wind and Air. As my father as you know, the son of the Spirits of the Sun and Fire."

At that said, Zuko looked away from the group. He had many secrets, of which they will never found out.

Toph looked up her group. "He's not lying." She said. Aang looked at Zuko in new light. How can he be the son of an Air and Fire Nation? If he remembered right, Air and Fire is the closest element together then Water and Fire, as they are opposites. Together they are more powerful then alone. Aang felt something grow inside his heart.

Finally he as found a fellow Air Nomad, well half of one. It was better then being fully alone.

**End of chapter**

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**Words: **1,879 

**Author's Notes: **I thought this plot needed more spice. How can you explain when Zuko jump onto roofs and the like, just like Aang? I also thought it was more real if Zuko wasn't 'full blood'. Where's the fun out of that?

**Read and Review!**

**--FireChildSlytherin5**


	5. Chapter 5

**

* * *

**

**"What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary:** AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despise the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet..

-

**Chapter 5**

-

_Ba Bum ... the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat twice.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat three times.  
Ba Ba Bum ... and the heart beat no more._

-

Many miles behind, in the darkness of_ L'Taur d'lil Elghinyrr_** (1)** , or in English "The Forest of the Dead", lies many secrets. Secrets that long had been forgotten in the eyes of mortal men as the immortals wait in the shadows. Where the questions with the answers only dead men knows. The many places where the once Mighty Fire Nation once dwelled when the Forest was once called "The Forest of the Living", the time before the 100 Years Old War, before the disappearance of Huo **(2)**, the Lady and the Spirit of Fire.

Far into the Forest itself was group of men, women and children cuddled in their tents that were made of mud and sticks. All of which wore ragged; blood stained clothes that once was common clothes of the Fire nation . It had been many years since any of them bothered about hygiene or other needs for themselves. With not many water or food each day, and at times having none of countless weeks, each of them looked very sickly. Many who wondered and witnessed this sight of these people would think that they are the walking dead, but with this fact, it is close.

They are all cursed.

It been years since a child had been born in their country. In truth, each of them; every man, woman and child is over 100s of years old, older then the Avatar Aang himself. The same people who witnessed the disappearance of their Fire Spirit, Huo; the same people who seen the end of the peace times and the beginning of the War itself.

An older man, sat by himself tending a fireplace on one side the camp site. He was slightly shorter then the fire nation men (which was common in their people to be tall) and very round in the middle which in his opinion is a nice table to sat his cup of tea on. His long graying hair once held a fire nation tail on the top of his head was gone. Chopped it off by himself, showing his people that he has no ties in the fire nation anymore. Now with mud, blood and grease tripping from his hair not washing it in years it seemed, clamps of dirt still hanging on his feet, his brown ragged traveling clothes just barely hanging on him; Ex-General, ex-Prince Iroh, older brother of the former Fire Lord, wasn't looking at his best.

Iroh sipped his chipped tea mug which he stole not long ago (which in his dismay got chipped in the progress), patiently waiting for his nephew, Zuko to come back home from a hunting trip that he told him to go. Zuko needed to spend time with other children his age and also the fact the Zuko was getting bored of guard duty saying it was for 'lower class' and with anger Iroh had aggressed that he would be feel more welcome to hunt for food for the camp. At first Zuko, Iroh remembered, didn't like this. But after some hunting trips, more the half unexsussful of bring any meat, Zuko came home happy that he found something that he enjoy of doing (besides learning how to fire bend and spare fighting) and also the fact that his friend since his childhood, Takeshi (3), was with him in each hunting trip making Zuko more enjoyable person to others around him.

But there was risks. Risks that got many to their truth deaths.

Many times Iroh ignored the many risks that he would never see Zuko again. Despite the Shadows, still getting stronger and stronger each year, fighting them for their cursed souls and the other Nations hunting them, trying to kill them all, slowly making them existent. There was good risks too to remember; Zuko was happy, which ever since his father has banished him and the lost his mother had angered him greatly, scaring his very soul almost out of existence.

Zuko as been gone for a whole week. Its not the longest he ever been gone, once they didn't see each other for almost a month in half, an expertise that Iroh would never would want to repeat. Iroh sighed, he missed his nephew dearly, that is like his second son to him. Iroh sipped his tea as the warm liquored went down to his dry throat. He looked up in the tree tops, only seeing dark space of nothingness. It has been long time that he ever seen the sun. The Forest to the Dead long lost the love of the sunlight. Without the Spirit of the Sun, why look for the light of the Sun? His fire bending is getting stronger, telling him that the Sun Spirit, Haru getting angry. After the comet went and passed, Haru recharged his power.

The World, as in all the Nations and the Avatar, believes that they stopped the war by killing the Fire Lord before he took the comet's energy. The World was finally in peace... It is not so.

But the true War, that has not yet came, is coming. Far more bloodier, more brutal then ever before. With the Sun Spirit had their rule, of what the Prophecy had once be said would come to pass, would come back. This War, none of them would escape it. Everyone; man, woman and child of the Fire Nation will have to fight. To the End.

"_Either must die on the hand of the other, or all will fall_." as one many lines in the Prophecy had said.

Ever since the Fire Spirit, Huo disappeared, Haru became angry from the lost of his lady, his wife, his other half. His heart hardened from the other Spirits and all things that are good, making the other six spirits hated him, banishing him, shunning him from all things that he ruled under his grasp. The Fire Nation, lost without their spirit's giddiness, thousands became insane as others were instantly killed; their fire in themselves burst into their hearts and souls killing them slowly and painfully. Others, like he, his brother, his father and the rest of the surviving Fire Nation, weren't so lucky as times went by. They were cursed to live without the gaudiness of their spirits, only their control of their fire with in themselves, the hatred of the other Nations living a full life as they do, as the Fire Nation had nothing.

They were the Nation of Fire, the end and the rebirth element. Why did the Nation of Water, Air, and Earth had to live with their Spirits, who guide them, loves them, where their Spirits was gone, forever? They had no one. And if they don't have love from the Spirits, then no one else will.

That was the start of the 100 Years Old War. If one Nation doesn't have the love of the Spirits, then none of the others will. If it comes to death, then so be it. Let them come, was the belief to many in the Fire Nation.

Iroh sigh again, shaking his head in defeat, remembering that he too, long ago, at thought these thoughts, like everyone else did, killing all those people, in rage of revenge. They were foolish of thinking that they had the control over the other Nations, control even the Spirits. Shortly after the first battle, where men, women and children was slaughtered, the Six Spirits had punished them for all entirety. That is why they are cursed.

It was their fault, Iroh knew. But like everyone else, including he, they won't admit it. It is not in their nature, the Fire Nation to admit their faults; even to their downfall. Even cursed, they still had their honor, and their pride.

It was the Spirits fault in the end. Letting the Lady Huo of Fire disappeared, banishing Haru. Without him, the Sun Spirit, they had no control over their fire, their powers, their spiritual being. Without the Fire Spirit, Huo they had no control over their will, their minds, their souls, their every being of being human. Without any of those, what else to live for? Nothing. They had nothing...

This is the Fire Nation life.

They are forever cursed.

**(End of Chapter)**

* * *

**(1)** **L' Taur d'lil Elghinyrr:** In elfish it means "The Forest of the Dead" 

**(2) Huo:** Chinese unisex name meaning "fire"

**(3)** **Takeshi:** Japanese name meaning: "fierce; warrior."

**(4) Haru:** Japanese masculine(male) name meaning: "sun, sunlight" "Spring" or "Clear Up"

----

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. And also for the fact that this chapter didn't have Zuko, Aang, Katara or Sokka. But I do promise that the next one will and more insight of Iroh and the rest of the hiding Fire Nation.

**Read and Review!**

**--FireChildSlytherin5**


	6. Chapter Six

**"What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary:** AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despise the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet...

**-**

**Chapter 6**

**-**

_Ba Bum ... the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat twice.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat three times.  
Ba Ba Bum ... and the heart beat no more._

-

Zuko is pissed.

For the past few hours, the Avatar has been trying to get more information about his mother being air nation. Asking questions unstop. "Is she air bender?" "Are there anymore air nomads still alive?" "Where are they?" and so on.

Zuko haven't answered any of these ridiculous questions, which got Aang more and more impatient.

Finally what felt like hours later...

"Twinkles Toes! Will you shut up already?!" Toph snapped at him, clearly telling everyone on she was fed up with all Aang's none stop non answered questions. "Hot Head here does not want to talk to you! So stop it!"

Zuko glared at her. _'Hot Head? Did she just called me Hot Head_?'

Sokka had the similar thoughts. "Hot Head?" he said laughing.

"Shut up!" Zuko snarled at him. It wasn't the fact that the blind female called him that, he been called far worse. It was the fact this piece of filth thought it was funny.

"You shut up, fire-scum." Sokka bellowed back at him. Zuko rolled his eyes at the idiot. The word 'fire-scum' is getting old now.

"Boys," Katara warned. She really doesn't want to repeat the same incident few days before when Zuko and Sokka fought and almost killed each other.

_'Always a peace maker with an iron fist ain't she?'_ Zuko thought with growl. _'Just_ _you wait water-witch. When I am free from these bonds, I will fry you and everyone else into dry crisps and I will finally be reunited with my Uncle._'

"Sokka leave him alone. You, Aang, stop asking him questions. And you," Zuko's head snapped up at hearing his name. He glanced at Katara who pointed her figure at him. "Leave my brother alone." Her voice was cold as ice, matching her hatred of him and her element.

_'He fucking started it'_ Zuko thought snarling at her. Katara ignored him.

"When will we get there, anyway? I'm hungry." Sokka asked the Avatar after a pregnant pause.

_'Does he think about his stomach all the time?_' Zuko wondered to himself. He glared at the leather bonds around his hands and feet. He cursed. _'This fucking sucks. My life sucks! I'm tied, on a flying animal, slowly going more insane then I was before they captured me by this filthy water peasant! Can my life get any worse?!_'

There was a humming sound coming from the Avatar. Zuko watched as the Avatar, his back turned from him, humming himself. Zuko cursed at him again. Yes, his life had gotten worse.

"Sokka. If the weather keeps up like this and no...problems," Katara quickly glanced at Zuko before continuing. "We will be at Omashu in a few days time." Sokka sighed at this, rubbing his hungry stomach.

_'Problems_?' Zuko thought. _'What is she talking about? What kind of problems_?' The only problem beside himself that he could think of is they would have met his sister Azula and her followers. Zuko doubt they would appear any time soon.

Disgruntled Zuko laid down o his back on the hard uncomfortable saddle. He remembered many times that he; his uncle and many others had problems. The Invasions from the Water and the Earth Nation, shadow attacks, the many disappearances including his own mother, the Curse and so many others.

For all these years, Zuko is surprised of how he and his Uncle had turned out in the end. At least he wasn't crazy as his father, Zhao, Azula and many others who turned insane or was killed by their own fire within themselves. It could've been worse though.

In few days time, he will be dead; his very soul will be opened to the dark shadows. Perhaps they will tortured him first and stuff him into a dark cell to rot somewhere underground, left and forgotten. It wasn't the fate he thought and dreamed would happen to him. He thought of worse fates, but it will do. Whatever happens, he just hopes that death would be quicker. He had suffered far too much already. His people have been suffering for so many years.

Maybe, just maybe he should get some rest. He will need the rest of long suffering that awaits him...

"This is fucking boring. Just sitting here! My ass hurts." Sokka muttered under his breath, turning his back from Zuko. Zuko growled in his slumber. Why does this water tribesman always ruins his life? He was trying to sleep...

Zuko opened his eyes to look at Sokka who foolishly had his back turn from him. Taking his opportunity, Zuko took a deep breath, and spited fire towards the tribesman, hitting his mark on the back of his head. Sokka yelped in both pain and surprised. Slapping his head to put out the fire. There behind the peasant's head was now a bald spot, with a nasty looking burn.

_'Jackpot_.' Zuko thought, grinning. Serves that shit head right of disturbing his rest.

Sokka knew at once who did it. None of them, minis Aang, is a fire bender. Just the look of the fire scum's face makes him want to throttle that Fire Prince's throat! It was bad enough that Aang didn't let him kill him...

"Why you little--" Sokka angrily raising his arms as if admitting to choke him to death. Sokka would've exceeded if not that fact, both Aang and Katara was watching. Aang using his air bending skills stopped Zuko from attacking Sokka and Katara with her water bending; she stopped Sokka locking his feet in ice firmly.

Looking at Aang and Toph, Katara said, "This is going to be a long trip." both Aang and Toph silently agreed.

**-  
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o  
-**

Iroh got up off the hard ground of where he sat for hours at a time meditating, his now cup of tea is now icy cold. _'Something isn't right_.' he thought to himself, as he opened his eyes to look around. Zuko should've been here now. Maybe he and his group had got delayed because of the weather or something. Iroh can only hope.

"_Mother_!" a voice called out. Iroh and everyone else in the village looked towards where the voice had come from. Takeshi (**1**), Hitomi (**2**) and Hoshi (**3**) appeared into the village, carrying wraps meat. As they approached the village, Takeshi ran towards his mother, Zaramama (**4**) and his father. "They got Zuko! Mum they got Zuko! It's all my fault! Mum, it's--all--my--fault!" Takeshi cried. Zuko was his friend. His first friend in he made all those years ago. And he failed him in both as his Lord, a friend and a brother.

Iroh and everyone else gasped. _'Zuko? As in his Zuko?_' Iroh thought, as his throat tighten. No! Not Zuko, please not Zuko. He had already lost his wife and son.

Iroh sunken down to the ground. Zuko was the closest son he ever had, since his own son was killed. Now he is alone.

Takeshi, watch the older man, knowing what Iroh was going through. He should've watched over Zuko more. He was the oldest in there group. It was all their responsibility to watch each other. It was his fault that Zuko is now gone from the face of the earth. At least he is with his mother and father now; surely that is a good thing.

"_Iroh, it is not the time to mourn_!" Dalibor (**5**) an ex general bellowed out from the crowed behind. "_You are grown man. Emotions are for the weak_!"

"_Let the man mourn for the lost of his nephew, man! You too should mourn of the lost of our Prince_!" a man from the group yelled back, pulling out his firey sword from his belt. Dalibor eyed the man in hatred.

"_He is not my Prince! He will never be_!" declared Dalibor, his hand glowing in fire.

Just then, in blinded fury, Iroh leaped up from the ground, his eyes turned red, his yellow teeth shown in such rage, Dalibor's eyes widen. Iroh swiftly pulled out his now fiery sword, as Dalibor just barely dodge the unexpectedly fierce blow.

Dalibor yelped as Iroh jumped on top of him with claws, metal and fire. "_HOW **DARE** YOU INSULT ZUKO! HE WAS YOUR PRINCE! HOW **DARE** YOU INSULT THE ROYAL BLOOD LINE!"_ Iroh roared, yelling in rage unstop.

The other villagers watched, as some started chatting "Fight! Fight!" as others turned away into their normal retune. It was as if everyday fights broke out, and at times ended with deaths.

As fast as it had started, it was all over. Iroh held the sword to Dalibor's throat, his eyes looking at him in fear. Cheers broke out from the crowd that stayed and watched. Iroh leaned forward, his hot breath beating on Dalibor's cheeks, as sweat started to form from his brow. "_If I ever hear you insult the prince ever again, I will make sure that you will feel pain, so unbearable, you would wish that the Shadow's would take your every soul and let it be done with. Now, get out from my sight, filth_." Iroh's voice was so low, that only Dalibor would hear it. Dalibor nodded.

Iroh stood up, walking few steps backwards letting Dalibor have some room to get up. Everyone watched as Dalibor unsteadily stood up, bowing at Iroh, pulling out a knife from his pocket, slicing his left palm and smearing his now bloody hand on his face, making a blood hand print across his face. Dalibor then waited, at long last Iroh bowed back. Dalibor, sighed then crunched to the ground, slowly making his way from Iroh, until he was far enough from him, Dalibor had disappeared behind a tent. **(6) **

"_Iroh_?" Iroh looked at Takeshi would slowly walked up to him. "_I am sorry for your lost_."

"_You had done what you could do Takeshi_." Iroh said quietly.

Takeshi gulped. "_Can you ever forgive me, sir_?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"_Sir_?"

"_Zuko is not dead_." Iroh said slowly.

"_Sir_?" Takeshi asked, unsure of what Iroh just said. Did he heard him right?

"_He is not dead_." Iroh repeated. Takeshi looked at him, in unsure look. Finally Iroh had lost it. "_Come Takeshi, we must get Zuko_ _back! Or they will take him to the Earth Kingdom_!" Iroh then started to approach the forest. Takeshi followed. As Iroh finally gone insane after loosing Zuko? Surely.

"_But sire! How do you know that Z—Zuko is not dead_?" Takeshi asked him.

"_Have hope. Come, Takeshi, take me where you were attacked_!" Takeshi then leaded Iroh back to the clearing.

**(End of Chapter)**

* * *

**Words: **2,123 

**(1) Takeshi:** Japanese name meaning: "fierce; warrior."

**(2) Hitomi:** Japanese name meaning: "pupil (of the eye)." This name is usually given to girls with especially beautiful eyes.

**(3) Hoshi:** Japanese name meaning "Star."

**(4) Zaramama:** New World Mythology name meaning: "grain mother" in Quechua. This was the name of the Inca goddess of grain.

**(5) Dalibor:** a masculine name derived from Slavic elements _dal_ meaning "far away" and the word _borit_ meaning "to fight".

**(6)** I don't know where I heard it from, but in some cultures (of what I was told from my father), after losing a fight one vs. one, the defeated person would slice their palm, smearing their blood onto themselves to show everyone that he or she expect being defeated. The winner then would decided either to bow back or take the defend person's life. If the winner bows back, then the loser would keep low to the ground, leaving the winner's present and would become a servant to the winner. Meaning to this story, Dalibor now has to serve his worth to Iroh, in any way possible. Ranging to companying him to battles; tell him to do things like killing someone if Iroh wanted to, and in few cases, Dalibor would take his own life, if Iroh told him to. Dalibor has no saying; Iroh is now his master in many ways than one.

**Author's Notes:** I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! Anyway, thanks for Reviewing!

**Read and Review!**

**--FireChildSlytherin5**


	7. Chapter 7

**"What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary:** AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despise the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet...

**-**

**Chapter 7  
**

**-**

_Ba Bum ... the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat twice.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat three times.  
Ba Ba Bum ... and the heart beat no more._

-

"_This is the place is where you were attack?_" Iroh asked Takeshi, as he crouched to the ground, tipping his fingers into a dark puddle of blood. Smearing it in his hands, the dark blood was bluish muck; clearing stating that it is not human. Iroh sniff it, knowing where it came from. 

"_Yes, sir._" Takeshi told him, looking around himself. He was expecting to find a rotting corpse of his best friend, instead he found nothing. All they found so far was pools of blood and traces of a fight and nothing else. In the clearing were earth boulders, and wet patches here and there. "_Sir, someone was here. Shadows can't bend-_-" Takeshi started to say.

"_A Shadow was killed here._" Iroh started to muttered to himself out loud. Takeshi shut his mouth. It was rude of interrupting an elder. "_And few others were wounded here. Who had killed the Shadow, I wonder? I would be glad to shake the person's hand before I kill him, if he ever hurt Zuko.._."

Takeshi shrugged. Iroh was weird at times like this.

He watched as Iroh got up from his feet, placing his hand a bark to nearby tree. Looking at it closer, he saw that of a weapon of some kind had sliced across it. "_This was done by a boomerang or same type of a small sword._" Iroh told Takeshi. Takeshi nodded slowly, not knowing how Iroh knew this. How can you tell a cut from a tree? A cut is a cut, in his opinion. It could be easily been made not from man, but from an animal.

Iroh started to walk away from him. Suddenly a cry was heard.

"_Takeshi! Come, I found footprints!_" Iroh called him. Takeshi followed him, who was now running up north, following footprints that were clearly weeks old.

They found another large clearing few miles of running unstop. In the middle of it was a fireplace that hadn't been used in weeks, its ashes cold as bones. Old footprints of four people and a small creature were found.

"_Ah---Sir, come and look at this!_" Takeshi called Iroh.

Iroh looked up. There on one side of the clearly was very large footprints of a six footed creature. Takeshi gulped, starring at the footprints that were three inches deep. What kind of a creature would make this kind of footprints?

Iroh stood there, his eyes widen. "_Sir? You know what made these?_"

Iroh nodded slowly. Something is wrong. "_I only know one creature that would make these footprints, Takeshi. A creature as large as dragons. A creature that was thought to be an extinct for 100s of years since the disappearance of Lady Huo. A flying bison_."

Takeshi's eyes widen. "_Do you mean..._" he yelped just thinking what would be happening to Zuko at the moment. "_That Zuko, been kidnapped by--by---_"

"_Yes, Takeshi, it is more then I feared. Zuko is a prisoner to the Avatar. And at this moment, they are heading to the Earth Kingdom, Omashu. At foot it will takes us at least a month. Far too late to save him. He is now at their mercy_." Iroh said slowly.

Takeshi collapsed on the forest floor and wept.

**-  
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o  
-**

"There it is!" Aang cried happily, jumping for joy on Appa's head. "There Omashu!"

Everyone looked up, and sure enough Omashu was seen just in the horizon. Its large earth wall shined from the golden sunlight. Earth Nation flags, just barely seen in the naked eye, blowing in the wind.

Zuko's golden eyes widen in horror. '_So soon..._ ' he thought. '_Be strong... Be strong..._ '

"I wonder what they are going to do with you, scum. Are they going to stuck you in a cell to rot or are they going to cut all your toes first?" Zuko heard Sokka asked him. Zuko ignored him. 'Don't let him get to you.' Zuko repeated himself.

Sokka smiled as he saw smoke coming from his ears. "Maybe they would be nice to you, killing you in a painless death. If it was me, I wouldn't be that merciful. You and your people don't deserve any mercy of what you Nation did..." Sokka continued, folding his arms.

Zuko couldn't take it anymore. Zuko jumped up on top of him.

"GET HIM OFF! GET HIM OFF!" Sokka yelped, as Zuko bite him in the arm.

"It's your fault that you angered him, idiot." Toph muttered, not caring if Zuko would throw him over board again.

Katara and Aang got up, parting Sokka and Zuko from each other.

"Sokka, stop angering him!" Katara yelled at her brother.

"Katara, he is Fire Nation!" Sokka yelled back.

"It doesn't give you the right to anger him!"

"Yes it does! Ooh, my beautiful arm..." Sokka yelped in pain, as blood trickling from his now torn sleeve. A huge, deep bite mark was shown under Sokka's now torn, blood stained sleeve.

"Let me go!" Zuko yelled, as Aang tightening Zuko's bonds around his hands and feet.

"Katara we need something to keep Zuko from biting people." Aang told her, ignoring Zuko's threatening pleas.

"Here, Aang." Katara said, tossing a think cloth from her backpack.

"I am sorry, Zuko..." Aang started to say, wrapping the thick cloth in a roll and started to put around Zuko's mouth. "Ouch!" Aang yelped. Zuko had bitten him.

Katara grabbed the cloth from Aang's now sore fingers, quickly wrapping it around Zuko's head and in his month. "There." she said.

Zuko glared at her.

'_Uncle where are you?_' he thought.  
**  
(End of Chapter)**

* * *

**Words: **1,177 

** Author's Notes: **Sorry for the long wait. Just now I had a spark feeling that I had, after reading a story in An Avatar fic called: - Only Hope - by tankerskid11.

And sorry for the shortest chapter ever, that I ever written in my life! But I promise that they next one WILL be longer. Like the last one before this one. :)

Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, even if it is short-ish. I had to write this chapter, to get my point of the next chapter.I am not happy about this chapter. Oh well.

I couldn't get a hold of my other beta, but I got a person named: **tankerskid11** from fanlib(dot)com. So yeah. :) Look up my profile to go into her profile there.

Please, please review!

Thanks for reading!

**--FireChildSlytherin5**


	8. Chapter Eight

**"What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary:** AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despise the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet...

**-**

**Chapter 8**

**-**

_Ba Bum ... the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat twice.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat three times.  
Ba Ba Bum ... and the heart beat no more._

-

The city of Omashu or New Ozai as it was renamed before the War ended, is the second largest city in the Earth Kingdom. Omashu sat in the mountain range, surrounded by all sides by steep canyons and enormous gorges. Over in the chasm were the narrow gates into the city. The cites' three gates was composed from massive stone, each of five feet thick and towering over thirty feet high. After the 100 years old war, Omashu stood tall and great. The after math of the war was still seen, as few Fire Nation insignias still branded into stone.

Aang landed Appa next to the entrance of the gates. "Sokka put a bag over Zuko's head. We can't let these people recognize him."

Sokka nodded, smirking, as he pulled out a leather bag from his backpack. Zuko's eyes widen as he watched the water tribe boy approached him, raising the bag above his head.

He couldn't move, he was too weak... Blackness over took him. Unwilling, he let Sokka lend him blindly, feeling the water tribe boy pull him with a robe around his neck like a leash. He felt his feet untied, his hands, palms together, are tied behind his back.

'_Where are they taking me?' _Zuko wondered to himself.

Aang, Sokka (dragging Zuko) followed by Katara and Toph walked up one of the earth benders who guarded the gates.

"Young Avatar Aang," said one guard bowing his head. "I am pleased to see you again. My name is Daichi **(1)**. I hope your journey was safe?" Daichi, the earth bender asked him.

"Well... not exactly," Aang said, pointing at bonded Zuko. Daichi looked at them, shocked.

"We need to see the Earth King Bumi immediately. It is regent."

"Of course Avatar Aang! Do you need an escort the...prisoner to the dungeons?"

Aang shook his head. "That is not necessary, thank you. Zu—the prisoner is the reason why we need to see King Bumi. I believe he would like to see the prisoner beforehand."

"Of course." the earth bender said, bowing his head again. He waved his arm, and the gates opened as if by magic. "You and your friends are free to go, Avatar Aang."

"Thank you." Aang said, bowing his head. The guard's face was priceless. Never in his dreams that the Avatar would bow to him; a common earthed bender.

As the Avatar and his friends pass, plus the prisoner, Daichi swear he heard the prisoner snarling under the bag, muttering in Fire Nation. Come and think about it, the prisoner wore what looked like rags that reminded him from Fire Nation...

He shook his head, laughing at himself. He must be losing it. The Fire Nation is all gone; they are all dead, just like the air nomads. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to his post.

-

"That was close." Katara said as the three gates behind them closed.

Aang nodded. "Come on!" they sped though the busy streets towards the palace and entered it.

As the approached the throne room, the earth bender guards opened the door for them, as they entered the room they saw Bumi sitting on his throne, as if he knew that they were coming. King Bumi wore purple robes, with bright pink cover over it, and bright red feathered hat.

Mentally, Aang, Sokka and Katara flinch at the sight of the King. At times, King Bumi would wear ridicules unmatched clothes. One would wonder if Bumi was dropped as a baby. As Aang and the rest of the group approached, the group (minis Toph and Zuko who couldn't see what was going on) eyed Aang's friend in weird look, still remembering the last time they came here.

"It's good to see you Bumi!" Aang cried. Bumi and Aang brace each other into a hug.

"Yes, Aang. Good to see you too." King Bumi agreed. He eyed Zuko in a wonder, smiling. "What is this that you bring me, young Aang?" he asked.

"Well... Sokka please take off the bag..." Aang said. Sokka approached the now struggling fire bender. Just as Sokka took off the bag around Zuko's head and the cloth from his mouth, everyone in the room gasp, wide eyed. Zuko snarled at them all, his golden eyes glowed with such horrible light, making some step back in fear.

Bumi giggled. "Ah the exile Fire Nation Prince Zuko. This is a surprise! I thought he and the rest of the royal family were killed during the invasion..." Bumi muttered to himself out loud.

"That's what we thought." Aang said nodding.

Bumi snort laughed again. "How did you come across this Prince?" he asked.

"It's a long story, Bumi," Aang started. Aang told him everything. How he, Katara, Sokka and Toph mystery entered into a Forest that was edge of the Fire Nation territory (now Earth Nation territory) and how they heard a shout. When they followed it they found Zuko and three others attacked by shadow beings, watching Zuko stabbed in a fatal wound, how they found him dead, taking his corpse to their camp site to bury them, and finding out that he wasn't dead, but alive.

In the end of the story, Bumi and everyone else in the grand hall was shocked. Aang's story was highly unbelievable, but they knew he wasn't lying, why would the Avatar lie to them?

"So, Avatar, what did you come here, with him? Ba-Sing-Se, I believe is our capital." Bumi asked, after Aang finished his story.

"I don't want Zuko to be killed." Aang confess to his friend. "If we brought Zuko to Ba-Sing-Se, they would've killed him out straight. I was thinking—," Aang hesitated. "That we can let him live, to get information—"

"I WILL NOT YOU ANYTHING!" Zuko snarled, fighting the leather ropes around his wrists. Hearing these words, Aang flinch.

Bumi giggled again, not effected from Zuko's outburst. "Now, now, Prince, you are not on the procession to have any choice in the matter—"

"I WILL NOT YOU ANYTHING, EARTH FILTH!" Zuko hissed, at the king. Everyone gasped again. No one ever in the history ever called the King that and lived. "Kill me, I don't care, earth filth. I have nothing left to live for." Zuko said, glaring at Bumi in a death glare.

Everyone didn't move nor made a sound. They waited for what Bumi would do. Would he order the Prince's death?

Bumi smiled, amused. "What about your uncle, huh? Do you care for him?" Bumi asked, grinning. Zuko's golden orbs widened ever so slightly.

Zuko didn't reply.

"Tell me, _Prince _Zuko," Bumi said, mocking in his voice. "If you are alive, then others from the Fire Nation are as well. Tell me, where are they hiding?"

'_Didn't he hear me? Didn't I told him I wouldn't tell him anything?!' _Zuko thought furiously. Zuko glared at the earth king in hatred, refusing to answer his question.

Without warning, an earth bender stepped forward behind Bumi's throne, smacking Zuko across his face, as blood trickled down from his mouth. Zuko dropped to his back, rolling onto his stomach, hissing in pain, biting his lip refusing to cry out, knowing that the pain would go away in few seconds, as if nothing every happened. Less than a second later, his felt no pain, but knowing that his jaw was now broken.

Zuko started to laugh. They can hurt him all they want; the pain would only hurt him for a few seconds and nothing more. Few would view this as a gift, but all these years, Zuko come to realize its now more than a curse.

This angered the earth bender more, hearing the insane laugh, as if mocking him. The bender started hitting him, with his stone hammer, across his back, breaking few ribs. Zuko hissed, but continue to laugh.

Bumi had enough. He waved his hand in front of him. "Enough. We need him alive." Bumi ordered.

The earth bender stopped. "Yes sir," he said. He turned to the fire bender. "SPECK BEFORE THE KING!" the earth bender yelled, obeying his King.

Slowly Zuko sat up onto his knees, looking up to the earth bender's eyes, and glancing at the King. "By my honor of my blood, soul and for my people," Zuko started, "I will not tell you where they are!" he spit onto the earth bender's face.

In rage, the earth bender slapped him, making Zuko's head to snap towards it right. A dark hand print formed on Zuko's left side of his face, making his scar darker in colour.

"STOP! You will kill him!" Katara yelled, stepping forward towards Zuko. Sokka stopped her.

"No, Katara, he is the enemy!" Sokka hissed at his sister.

"He is already injured Sokka! He could die!"

Before Sokka reply, Bumi spoke first. "The young lady is right. We need the Prince alive." he glanced at the earth bender, who coward away from his King, his face blush red from both embarrassed and anger.

"Perhaps Aang, you and your friends go now and rest. Dinner will be ready shortly in your honor." Bumi said. At these words, Sokka smiled, rubbing his stomach dreamily.

Aang didn't want to leave Zuko. A few weeks ago, he thought bringing Zuko here was the right thing, but now—he wasn't sure anymore. "Okay." Aang said hesitating, nodding unsurely.

"I am up for it." Toph agreed.

Seeing Aang's unsure look, Bumi said, "He will not be killed, Aang, that I promise. Kenta **(2)** please escort them to their rooms."

The earth bender, Kenta, stare at his King in a blank look, "Ah—which rooms?" he asked.

Bumi blinked. "The Northern rooms" he decided.

"Sire, there are the servants' corridors." Said one behind Kenta.

Bumi nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm.. Western?"

"Those are used for storage."

"Really, Naoki **(3)**? No wonder I always get lost there. What are fell with?"

"Well sire—" Naoki began.

Sokka smacked his forehead. Aang and Katara sighed impatiently. Toph blink her blind eyes _'Is this King more insane then Hothead?'_

Zuko cringed in disgust. '_This is going to take awhile.'_ He thought bitterly.

**-  
0o0o0o0o0o0o  
-**

_"Let us get this straight, Iroh: You want us to follow you to New Ozai to rescue Prince Zuko, because you felt that Prince Zuko is alive, even if you don't have ANY prove that he is or not?"_ Icarus said, stepping forward towards Iroh.

Icarus was one of the tallest Fire Nation Generals in history, at six and half feet tall in height. He was muscluer, with long black hair and dark eyes. He wasn't a fire bender, like his mother and father was before him, but with his strength of his muscles gave him, gave him the advange of the lack of his bending.

Iroh was sating in the middle of a circle, everyone in the forest, was sitting on the ground in a circle surrounding Iroh, listening of what he has to say. Dalibor sat behind him, his arms folded in front of his chest. He didn't want to go, but by honor he must.

_"Yes."_ Iroh said.

_"You got to be fucking kidding me."_

If it wasn't the serious setuwion beforehand, this statement would've been funny.

_"Zuko is our last hope of regaining our Nation. He will be a good Fire Lord--"_

_"Our Nation has ended long ago, Iroh. There is no hope for us!"_ yelled one from the crowd. At this statement, shouts and cries broke out.

_"ENOUGH! ENOUGH!"_ bellowed Icarus. At last the forest was quiet again.

_"You are mad, Iroh. Going to that Earth Kingdom is madness! It is like going to in the Dragon lair with no weapons! Think, Iroh, of what you are saying!"_

_"Zuko needs our help."_ Iroh said. _"You have a choice to go with me or not. I only ask for help."_ Iroh, pulled out one of Zuko's twin swords and drew a line in the dirt. _"For those who wish to join me, come forth behind the line."_

No one moved.

Iroh sighed. He thought at least one person would help him...

Slowly, Takeshi stood up from the ground of where he sat, and walked across the line, bowing to Iroh, who was now smiling at him._ "By my honor, I will accompany you of your mission."_ he said.

Iroh bowed.

Slowly other people started to cross the line. Icarus was shock of what he was seeing, interly he sighed. Damn that Dragon of the West! Sighing again, Icarus too across the line.

_"It is settle then. Tonight to go to hell! Let the Spirits of the Dead and Life protect us! "_

_"Aye!"_ bellowed the Fire Nation.

_"Let no one live to tell the tell! No one takes our Prince without suffering punishment!"_

The Fire Nation roared, raising their weapons and fire above their heads.

**(End of Chapter)**

**(1) Daichi:** a masculine (male) name in Japanese. _dai _means "large, great" combined with ? (_chi_) "Earth, land" or (_chi_) "wisdom, intellect"

**(2)** **Kenta:** 健太 male name in Japanese. From Japanese _健__(ken)_ "healthy, strong" and _太__(ta)_ "thick, big".

**(3) Naoki:**直樹 male name in Japanese. From Japanese _直__(nao)_ "honest, straight" and _樹__(ki)_ "tree".

**(4) Icarus:** a male name in Greek Mythology. From Greek (Ikaros) perhaps meaning "follower". In Greek Icarus was the son of Daedalus, locked with his father inside the Labyrinth. They escaped from the maze using wings devised from wax but Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax melted, plunging him to his death.

**Words:** 2,421

**Author's Notes:** Yeah, another chapter! I know, I know, this chapter sucks. And I wanted to be humor in this story, not just dark, evil, depressing fic. Sue me. But please don't. If u do sue, then I can't update this story. Hehe.

Thanks for the kind reviews, even if it was so few. :( Oh well. Please review!

**---FireChildSlytheirn5**


	9. Chapter 9

**"What is a Heart Beat?"**

**-**

**Summary:** AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despises the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet...

**-**

**Chapter 9**

**-**

_Ba Bum ... the heart beat once.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat twice.  
Ba Bum ... the heart beat three times.  
Ba Ba Bum ... and the heart beat no more._

-

"Take them to the Eastern corridors." King Bumi said. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph looked up. Finally they made an agreement. "We really need to number them." Bumi said to a guard next to him. The guard looked at his king in a weird look.

The guards in the throne room bowed. "We will talk Aang, now rest and in an hour, join me to dinner. Now, take the prisoner to the dungeons!" Bumi continued.

Two earth benders grabbed Zuko by the arms. "Try anything and you will be killed." One hissed in his ear. Zuko laughed.

"Many tried earth scum." Zuko said loudly. "No one has. The only person that almost did was my father. You are weak compare to him. If he couldn't then you surely can't." Zuko eyes narrowed.

Bumi grinned in amusement. He liked this prince. "Take him away!"

The two earth benders dragged the Fire Prince out from the throne room. When the doors slammed shut, Aang stepped towards his friend.

"Please don't hurt him, Bumi." He said.

Bumi nodded. "Don't worry, Aang. He won't be hurt by my hands that I promise."

Aang nodded. He bowed and turned away following his friend out of the throne room.

-

"I can't believe Bumi didn't order him to death," Sokka said 10 minutes later as the four friends retired in their rooms. "I mean, he is the Prince of the Fire Nation. He is the last of the royal blood. With him being alive, the Fire Nation will rise and start attacking us. With him being dead, the war will never start up again. So why not kill him?"

"I am sure Bumi has his reasons." Katara said.

"Yeah, come on. Of what I was told from you, Meat Face, he is a cunning guy." Toph shrugged.

Sokka nodded. "What do you think he meant when he said that his father tried to kill him?"

"Just ignore him." Katara answered.

"I have to agree with Sugar Queen." Toph said in bored tone of voice. "He just wants you to feel sorry for him."

Katara looked up towards Aang. He has spoken since they walked out of the throne room. "Hey, Aang, are you okay?" she asked him.

Aang didn't answer her. He was staring out in a blank look as if he was in a day dream trice.

Katara waved her hands over his eyes. Still Aang didn't blink. "Oy, Aang." Sokka said, poking him on the arm. "You okay, buddy?"

A rock was thrown at Aang. As the rock hit him, Aang shot up in the air. "Ow! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the part where the rock hit him.

"You were day dreaming pretty hard, Twinkle Toes.

"I was thinking! Not day dreaming!"

"So, what were you thinking about?" Sokka asked.

"Things." Aang answered.

"What things?"

Aang sigh. "Do you think it was the right thing of bring Zuko here? Shouldn't we let him go when he asked us?"

His three friends looked at him in an odd look. "We had done the right thing, Aang. The Fire Nation are evil. And he is their Prince." Sokka answered.

"No! That's not what I meant. He said _'__Let me go back to my people in peace; let me die with them'. _His sister is the Fire Lady. He doesn't want to rule. He just wants to go back to people. What would happen if you were captured? Would you want to die with your people?"

"It's not like that Aang. I am Water tribe. He is Fire Nation."

Aang sighed in defeat. He had been thinking a lot lately about the Fire Nation. How people are hunting them like animals. Are they doing the right thing? The only person that could help is, Avatar Ruko.

"I need to talk to Ruko." Aang said.

"Why? You haven't spoken to him since you defended the Fire Lord. And that was two years ago. Didn't you say he told you that you didn't need him anymore?"

"Yes, but this is different! I need advice! He is Fire Nation. Maybe he will tell me—"

"Tell you what?"

"Never mind." Aang said.

There was silence.

"I can't believe you related to the bastard." Sokka said abruptly, breaking the still silence in the room.

"SOKKA! Language!" scowled Katara.

Aang sigh rolling his eyes. "Only in my past life!"

Sokka made a sickening face. "Yeah but still. Who would think that the Fire Prince is the great-grandson of Avatar Ruko?"

"I am not surprised." Toph said.

"Huh?" Sokka muttered, staring at Toph in a wonder.

"Think about it. Ozai probably didn't love his wife. Only married her because she is the granddaughter of the Avatar! Marrying her and him being the son of _the 'all powerful fire bending royal family'_ would make his line stronger and powerful. It's the reason why Azula is so powerful."

"She does have a point." Aang said, turning to Sokka who looked at Toph in a new light. Who would've thought that?

"She does have a point." Aang said, turning to Sokka who looked at Toph in a new light. Who would've thought that?

Sokka rolled his eyes.

There was a knock on the door. An old female servant comes into the room. "The King wishes me to escort you to the dinner chamber, my lords and ladies." The woman said bowing her head.

Sokka smiled. "Alright!" he said getting up from the chair he was sitting on. "What are we having?"

The woman smiled. "It's nice to see such a young man is pleased about food. Mind you, young man. Watch of want you eat or will get fat."

"So what are we having?" he asked again impatiently, ignoring what the old woman told him.

The old woman smiled shaking her head. "Come, come darlings. The King waits!"

The four friends followed the old woman down the hall.

**-  
0o0o0o0o0o0o  
- **

Zuko was led down the narrow pathways underground in the Omashu Prison. The pathways were lined with fire touches at one side of the walls. Feeling the warmth of the fire, Zuko slightly smiled, feeling his element touch him with loving brace. He knew that he will not see the sun for a long time. He felt the sun slowly setting in the sky.

'_What is Uncle doing now?'_ he wondered.

One guard was in front of him and the other was behind him. There wasn't any space to squish through and run pass them. He knew he was trapped. Zuko cursed.

He sighed again. Did Takeshi **(1)** and the others made it safely to the camp? Do they believe me gone forever like the others? Are they searching for me or mourning my 'death'?

_"Uncle…."_ He whispered.

The front guard sneered. "We advise you not to speck of that language, scum." Zuko snorted.

_"Make me."_ Zuko said, sticking his tongue out behind the guard's head. The guard behind him hit him on the back of the head with his iron fist. Zuko fell onto his knees.

"GET UP! Or we will make you!" bellowed one guard.

Slowly Zuko got up from the ground.

Too soon, he heard a creak of a dungeon door opening. Suddenly Zuko felt himself being pushed into the damp prison cell. He landed hard on his knees, catching himself from hitting his head on the opposite wall from the door. He turned towards the door with war-ish cry, but it was too late.

The dungeon door closed shut with a thud.

The guards laughed and started to walk away.

"You could've untied me!" called Zuko piecing his eyes through the small bared window on top of the wooden door.

A face of one of the guards blocks his vision in front of the window. "Why? So you can fire bend though this door and escape? I think not. You are lucky that the king didn't decide to kill you."

Zuko growled. He watched as the two guards left. "When I get out, you will pay! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Zuko yelled.

"Shut the fuck up man! Some of us are trying to sleep!" yelled an unknown voice that sounded like it came from a cell two cells down. Zuko jumped. He should've known the he wouldn't be the only prisoner in this prison.

"You shut up!" Zuko yelled back. "You ever you are!" god he felt stupid yelling through the stoned wall.

"My name is Shui **(2) **son of Jiang **(3) **the Black Masked Bandit! And please quite down! You don't want to wake—"

There was a large thudding sound that echoed the prison.

Shui cursed. "Too late! You woke it up! Run to the corner of your cells! Cover your ears!" Zuko ignored the voice. _'Run to the corner of your cells? Cover my ears? What for? What is he talking about?'_

And then something that he never thought possible happened.

-

_"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!  
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,  
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!  
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,  
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!"_** (4) **

**- **

The voice stopped. And then.

-

_"I forgot the rest of the song!  
Yo ho, yo ho! The pirate's life for me!  
When I get the fuck out here!  
I will cut of your ear!  
Until I die!"_

-

Zuko's widen in shock. Whoever was singing, was a horrible singer. Its voice was so high pitch it hurt his eyes.

Taking Shui's advice, Zuko painfully walked to the farthest way from the singing voice in his cell, covering his ears as tightly as he could.

**(End of Chapter)

* * *

**

**Words: **1,883

**(1) ****Takeshi:** Japanese name meaning: "fierce; warrior."

**(2) ****Shui:** a male name meaning "water" in Chinese.

**(3) ****Jiang:** a male name meaning "river" in Chinese.

**(4) ****A Pirate's Life for Me: **A trailer Theme Song from Pirates of the Caribbean.

**Author's Notes:** I always figured that because people are benders of their elements they could _'feel'_ the sun, moon, earth and air. Like for example. If Katara is underground looking for an exit she would _'feel'_ the moon showing her to way outside. Or Zuko feeling the sun on the other side of the earth and so on for all benders.

I wasn't planning on ending it here, but I figured to update and leave it as that. I am late for class, about 35 mins. I wanted to finish this chapter.

Sadly this chapter is not beta-ed!

**So please give a Review!**

**Thanks!**

**--FireChildSlytherin5**


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